West Ham express shock interest in Chelsea legend with transfer ‘obstacle’ revealed

West Ham United want to sign Chelsea legend N’Golo Kante from Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad, according to reports.

Kante, 33, joined Al Ittihad on a free transfer after his Blues contract expired last summer.

He has won just about everything there is to win in football, securing two Premier League titles during his time at Chelsea and Leicester City, on top of a Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and World Cup with France.

The Frenchman’s career has been an incredible one as he has cemented his legacy as one of the best defensive midfielders of all time.

His Chelsea exit felt like the end of the road for Kante in England, however, he is being linked with a return to London after spending seven years in the capital with the Blues.

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It is unclear if Al Ittihad will be willing to sell one of the Saudi Pro League’s most prestigious signings and it is very difficult to financially tempt them into a sale given how rich they are.

Regardless, West Ham have opened ‘talks’ to sign Kante this summer as new head coach Julen Lopetegui is a ‘long-time admirer’, according to The Guardian .

Both sides reportedly have a ‘willingness’ to get a deal over the line, which indicates that Kante is open to the move. That is pure speculation on our part.

After proving himself to still be a top-class midfielder at Euro 2024 with France, the Hammers have become interested and ‘will need to pay around £20m’ to land him.

The report goes on to say that a new defensive midfielder is on Lopetegui’s transfer agenda after Kalvin Phillps’ disastrous loan from Manchester City finished.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth has said there have been ‘initial soundings’ between West Ham and Al Ittihad.

‘West Ham are interested in signing former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante from Al Ittihad,’ Sheth wrote .

‘Initial soundings have indicated a deal could cost in the region of £20m, with West Ham deciding whether to formally make a bid.

‘Wages could prove to be an obstacle for the Hammers to acquire the 33-year-old, who moved to Saudi ­Arabia in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea.

‘The France international started all six of his country’s games at Euro 2024 and has two years remaining on his Al Ittihad contract.’

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